Waterflower
by QueenOfGeeks14
Summary: When Ash heads to the beach on his last day of vacation he has a near death experience when he nearly drowns in a riptide. But he never expected to be saved, by a mermaid no less. When he wakes he thinks its just a dream, but when he returns to school he realizes his red-head rescuer is the new girl at his school! How can he try to figure out this girl's secret when everyone at sch
1. Chapter 1: Drowning

Bubbles floated above her as she fell down the water, sinking to the depths she thought she knew so well. Her red hair billowed above her shining through the golden rays of the setting sun. Misty's eyes began to slip closed but she blinked constantly to try and keep them opened.

_How did this happen...? Well, of course this would happen... my sisters were right..._

With a sharp snapping sound her rose pearl necklace broke off her neck and floated to the surface. She tried grabbing it but she couldn't move because of the tranquilizers given to her earlier. _A mermaid drowning... what an ironic death... _

Her vision began blurring as she began to lose consciousness just as she saw a figure jump into the water reaching out to her. He desperately reached out his hand but hers fell out of reach, _I can't reach... _

As her eyes fell closed she gave into the darkness of the unconsciousness, letting the ocean drag her deeper into the depths.

_I'm sorry..._

And then she was gone.


	2. Chapter 2: The Salt Sea

"Ugh! Hurry up Brock!" Cilan whined impatiently from the back seat of the car. "We have to hurry! Its the last day of summer and I intend to enjoy it fully!"

"Dude, chill! The beach isn't going anywhere." Brock said rolling his eyes.

"Just drive faster!" he growled.

"I'm driving the speed limit! Besides, I can't control the traffic!" Brock said looking up at the traffic that had picked up on the freeway.

"Cilan just calm down," Iris said turning to him. "Everythings gonna be fine. Besides, the beach is a lot cooler in the evening." she said. "And thanks for taking us Brock. It'll be nice to get out of the house before school starts."

Pikachu sat on Ash's lap and nodded, "Pika-Pika!"

All of them attended the only school in the area Karaton High which was the top school in the district. It had it all: five Olympic size swimming pools for training water Pokemon, three rocky terrains, and a humongous indoor forest. The teachers were all very knowledgeable and

It wasn't that Ash didn't like school, but after nearly getting bested by his rival Gary Oak (the pompous kiss-up ladies man of the school), he needed time to relax. Unfortunately, ninety days of summer wasn't enough and now it was the last day. So what better way to enjoy it then by hanging out at the beach?

Well, looks like now that he would spend the day on the freeway in Brock's car.

"This is ridiculous." Ash mumbled sighing heavily.

"You're telling me, look how much gas i'm wasting!" Brock snapped looking at the meter in front of the wheel. "This is freaking unbelievable! This is going to have to come out of my paycheck." Brock's car wasn't exactly _his _car. The company he worked at gave him a company car but every month he'd have to pay for a percentage of the gas he spent, "I think i'm going to spend more on gas this month than school supplies."

"C'mon Brock, you're a senior. All you need is a pencil." Iris said. "Lucky for us we've still got two more years." she pouted.

Brock slammed his palm on the steering wheel horn, "Come on and move already!" he shouted angrily. Another horn honked and an elderly lady shouted at him. Brock gasped turning to Ash, "She gave me the finger!"

Ash snickered but reached into his bag pulling out his Pokeball, "You guys can wait, I'll meet you there." he pushed open his door and he and Pikachu stepped outside.

"Where do you think you're going?" Cilan called out the window.

"Charizard I choose you!" he said sending Charizard out. "Flying in style." He hopped on Charizard's back and with a roar he took flight away from the freeway and off to the beach.

Ash didn't normally fly Charizard everywhere, but it was definitely faster than having Brock drive him. Even when there wasn't any traffic he was a careful driver, perhaps a little too careful. But whenever Ash complained Brock would jump into an argument of how important his company car is, yadda, yadda, yadda.

The air was nice and cool but was still warm from the early evening sun shining down. _To think i've got to go back to school tomorrow. _He thought tightening his baseball cap over his black hair. _Eh, might as well enjoy it while I can. _

_"_Pika!" Pikachu said grabbing Ash's attention below at the beach view.

"Hey we made it! Charizard just land right there!" Ash said trying to alert Charizard over the sound of the wind and the waves. Charizard grunted in reply and swooped down to land. Ash and Pikachu hopped off, he gave his friend a pat on the head, "Thanks a lot Charizard, return." he said. Charizard gave a nod and returned to his Pokeball.

Ash looked out onto the beach and let out a sigh of content, "Well what are we waiting for Pikachu? Let go!" he grinned kicking off his flip-flops and taking off his shirt. Pikachu shook its head and sat indignantly on the ground. "Pikachu what's wrong? Why don't you want to go swimming?"

Pikachu nodded and folded it's arms, "Chu."

Ash groaned, "Alright, but it's your loss. When you see the gang tell them i'm swimming!" he said dashing off to the water.

The air smelt of salt and Ash jumped right into the water letting the wave envelope him. He jumped out of the water a smile on his face, "Ah! This water feels great!" he said to himself.

Pelipper and Wingull flew above the sea cawing to each other and flying around. Ash swam forward out into the water and smiled, it'd been way too long since he'd been to the beach. What with school and all around being lazy he hadn't been to the beach since he was little.

He saw farther and farther till he realized just how far he had swam. _Woah, i've gone pretty far... i'd better swim back... _before he could even finish his thought the water shoved him underneath the wave and whirled him around. _A riptide! Oh no! _

Ash thrashed around the tides and tried his best to get to the surface, is vision was a blur of blue and white, _I can't tell which way is up or down, i've got to get out! _he thought desperately. He tried reaching out to something, anything! But to his avail all he grasped was water.

Suddenly a hand reached out and grabbed his, pulling him upward, _what...? _he tried looking at the figure but in the water everything was blurry. The figure pulled him upward, holding him firmly, "Don't worry, i've got you." the voice said.

In a whirl of color and saltwater everything faded to black as Ash gave in.

Oxygen filled his lungs as Ash's eyes shot open. He quickly coughed the water out of his lungs, desperate to get another breath. _I-i'm alive...? _he thought.

He quickly looked around; he was sitting on a rocky cove, the waves still lapping against the black rocks. "Hello?" he asked. _Who saved me? _

By the waves a head popped up out of the water, "Oh, thank goodness you're alright." she said. Ash was a bit taken aback by the figure in the water, he hair was a bright red with pearls adorning it and her eyes a bright aqua, "Be glad you didn't drown." she said.

"W-who are you?" Ash asked very curious.

"Ash!"

"Where are you?"

"Ash!"

Three familiar voices called from a ways away, Ash turning that way. When he turned back the figure was gone, "Hello? Hey wait!"

With a splash a large tail sprung out of the water giving what seemed like a wave in Ash's direction then darted back into the water.

Ash froze.

"Ash! There are you are!" Iris called running with Cilan and Brock down the rocks to meet him.

Brock helped him to his feet, "Are you ok?"

"Pikachu tried alerting us that you were in trouble, what happened?" Cilan said with a worried look on his face.

"I was saved." Ash muttered still trying to arrange his thoughts.

Iris pursed her lips, "'Saved'? By who?"

Ash shook his wet head, "I don't know..." Ash was lying, he knew about with about a 50% confidence just who, or _what _saved him.

_A mermaid... _


	3. Chapter 3: Band-Aid

Before Ash knew it he blinked and found himself back in Brock's car, sitting in the front seat with a towel wrapped around him. Outside it had gotten dark and the beach was barren, Brock stood outside the car until he noticed Ash was awake, "Ash, are you alright?" he asked.

Ash blinked trying to figure out why he blacked out, "Y-yeah, I think so."

Pikachu hopped onto Ash's lap and rubbed his head against his arm, "Pika-pika!"

"Looks like someone is happy to see you." Brock said.

"Hey Brock! Is he awake?" Cilan asked running up to the car soaking wet. Brock nodded. "Oh good! You passed out on us and we were a bit worried." he said.

Iris ran up next to him also wet with her big yellow duck floaty, "Yeah, but since you were asleep we thought we might as well go swimming. But Brock over here just wanted to flirt with girls." she groaned.

"What?" he asked all defensively. Ash started chuckling but groaned when a headache struck him like a lightening bolt. "Oh, Ash, we'd better get you to a doctor. You might have hurt yourself."

"I-I'm fine... ow!" he cried feeling another headache come on.

"Yeah, we'd better go." Iris said shoving her duck floaty in the car, and shoving Cilan in after. "Drive, Brock!" she said being all dramatic. Cilan, Brock, and Ash rolled their eyes but piled in the car driving off to the Pokemon Center.

Ash tried to ignore the splitting headache he had but it was hard to ignore, "G-guys, i'm fine." he said rubbing his temples.

Iris let out a yelp as they thundered past a large speed bump, "Brock! You don't have to drive so fast!" she said gripping onto her duck floaty.

"Yeah, its not like Ash is loosing an organ!" Cilan said.

Brock let out a dreamy sigh, "Yeah, but the sooner we get there the sooner I can see Nurse Joy..." he said.

Everyone let out a groan, "Is it so hard to say that girls _don't _enjoy it when you flirt with them?" Iris sighed.

They ran over another bump sending Iris and Cilan flying around the back seat, "Brock!" they both growled trying to get off each other.

Ash sighed, _Maybe i'm not fine. _

"Nurse Joy! Nurse Joooooooooooy!" Brock yelled as he ran into the Pokemon Center carrying Ash on his back.

"Brock! I told you I can walk!" Ash huffed indignantly.

"Its just so Nurse Joy can see how strong I am." Brock said to him. "NURSE JOY!"

"She's not here!" a voice called grouchily from the back room. "And if you didn't look at the sign, we're closed." Out of the back room a girl only about eighteen walked out with a Chansey who yawned. Her short blonde hair was in a bit of disarray since she was probably sleeping before they burst in. Her glasses were a bit crooked on her freckled face and a frown played on her thin lips.

Of course, Brock fell head over heels. "Oh, we're so sorry to disturb you, but my friend here took a little slip in the ocean and I had to carry him the entire way here. I was hoping you'd be able to help him with your excellent healing."

The girl seemed unimpressed, "No, you were looking for Nurse Joy. I'm her assistant Rachel." she said. "But I suppose I might as well have a look at your friend. C'mon, this way." she said beginning to walk back into the other room motioning for them to follow.

She walked into an examination room and flipped on the light switch, "Alright sit there." she said pointing to the examination table. Ash hopped on and Rachel turned taking one look at his head and said, "Yeah he's fine. You can go now." she said waving goodbye.

"Woah, you can't just say that and leave!" Cilan said.

Iris nodded, "Yeah! What if he has a concussion?"

Rachel gave a small laugh, "Honey, if he had a concussion i'd know. I can take one look at him and say he's fine." she said. She looked back and gave a small laugh, "Oh, well I never noticed that scratch on your head. Here, Chansey wait with them while I got get a bandage." she said turning to the Pokemon. She nodded in agreement as Rachel left the room.

"Well Ash, looks like you're not _entirely _as fine as you thought." Brock said pointing to the blood running down his neck.

Ash sighed, "Great. What a way to spend the last day of summer."

"Cheer up Ash, you've got tomorrow to look forward to." Cilan said. "That's when the sign-ups for the school Pokemon tournament begins and you can show off to all the Freshies."

"Yeah, this year the Juniors are going to dominate!" Iris said with a grin giving Cilan a fist bump.

"Aha! Got a bandage!" Rachel said walking back into the room. "Do you guys by chance go to Karaton High?" Everyone nodded. The girl scoffed, "Just my luck. I'll be there this year."

Brock grinned, "Is it true? I finally get to spend six hours a day with one of the most beautiful creatures on earth?"

"Not entirely, since i'm Nurse Joy's assistant it's my job to spend a semester working at some kind of public establishment and I am supposed to work there this semester." she grumbled unwrapping the band-aid and placing it on Ash's cut. "There, you're healed. Now, can you all go home? Its late and frankly i'm tired of you being here." she said motioning for them to leave.

Ash, Cilan, and Iris all began filing out but it took Chansey and Rachel to push him out the doors, "Oh, my sweet, I will count the endless hours till I can see you again. Let me count the minutes..."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, shut up." Rachel said rolling her eyes. With that she shut the door locking it behind her sighing in relief, "Great Chansey. Now i'm going to be stuck with those lunatics for a semester." she said rubbing her temples.

Chansey nodded, "Chansey."

Rachel sighed, "Well, I guess I'll spend the last hours of summer sleeping. Goodbye summer, hello school."

The moonlight streamed in through his window and he lay awake in his bed, the events earlier still playing in his mind.

Her bright red hair, her bubbly blue eyes, _Who was that girl? What was that girl? _He thought sighing and rubbing his aching head.

His room was silent only Pikachu's soft snoring and the crickets outside could be heard. He sighed listening to the silence, for some reason the only thing he wanted to listen to was the sound of waves. The sound of _her _voice.

Ash shook his head, _What the heck am I thinking? That girl, she couldn't be real... I know she couldn't be... _

His clock chimed, "12" and startled her remembered what the next day brought.

"Crap." he mumbled realizing he'd have to wake up early.

He flipped over in his bed burrowing himself within his sheets, shutting his eyes, shoving his thoughts in the back of his mind.

_She wasn't real... _

As he drifted off all he could think of was her. Her hair, her eyes, her smile, her voice, just her.

_...Right...? _


	4. Chapter 4: Wishing Star

**Hey guys! **

**Thank you for reading my story! (I really appreciate it!) **

**Sorry this chapter is a bit short, and I stole the song from _Barbie as Rapunzel _(Don't judge! Its because I can't rhyme...) **

**Please enjoy! And please favorite and review! (I'd love to know what you guys think!) **

**Thanks! And enjoy! :) **

* * *

Misty swam swiftly through the water, feeling the cold evening water run past her skin. She smiled, swimming through the moonlight wafting into the darkened water. It was quiet, peaceful, the perfect time for her to clear her head.

She surfaced and took in a breath of the air, breathing in the air rather than the water felt exhilarating. It was like lightning through her spine, it gave her a happily dizzy feeling like champagne when you weren't used to it. But if she remained away from the water too long, a tightness would grow in her chest and it would be hard to breathe, which would mean she would have to go back to the water.

Her friend Starmie surfaced next to her, he kept nudging her arm signaling that she should go back. Misty shook her head, "No, not yet. I just need a bit of time, kay? I promise I'll go home soon." Grudgingly Starmie agreed and followed her to the cove.

It was Misty's favorite spot on the beach because it was secluded from the main beach so even when the beach was crowded Misty could hide away without anyone finding her. She swam over and perched herself on one of the rocks, pulling Starmie up to sit next to her. She looked outward onto the indigo water, with the stars reflection rippling through the water. The crescent moon hung high in the sky shining down a white light on her face, making her skin pale and her teal tail glow.

Her thoughts ran through her head, _That boy with the black hair… _

The way his carefree grin caught her attention, the way his laugh filled the air, the way his gaze made her heart skip a beat. She thought back to when she was watching him from her cove, everything about him just made her want to watch him. And the moment he was caught under the waves, he just gave into her grip, like he trusted her instantly.

And when he looked into her eyes and _talked _to her. She felt as if her heart would leap out of her throat, because he was looking and talking to _her. _

_But… it can never be… _she thought.

She looked at the starry sky, the biggest brightest star reflecting in her aqua eyes. She remembered her mother back when she was little, every night before bed would sing her to sleep. "_Contestant as the stars above, always know that you are loved…" _

Misty's shoulders dropped at the memory of her mother, who had died in an oil spill. Her sisters seemed to move on so quickly, but Misty never did. At her deathbed she had given Misty her prized betrothal necklace Misty's father had made for her. It was a beautiful rose pearl necklace with a pure white shell in the center, her mother placed it in her hands and closed it, "Please sing for me Misty. Just one last time."

Gripping the necklace in her hands, she sang her mother to her eternal sleep, since then Misty didn't sing very often. Too scared of the voice that was the last thing her mother heard.

She shook her head, taking herself out of her thoughts. Looking up the stars she saw the wishing star as her mother had called it. "_Misty, you wish on that star and you dream with all your heart. Follow it, and you'll always have the right direction." _Her mother's voice filled her head.

Feeling her heart tighten, Misty touched her necklace looking at the sky. "Please, please, please, _please._" She whispered. "I just want to see him again."

Starmie nudged her, signaling it was time to go, and with a sigh Misty plunged back into the cold water swimming back home with that wish still in her heart. _Please. _


	5. Chapter 5: Back Again

**(* Hey guys! First off thank you do much for reading and allthe nice reviews you guys gave me ^^ sorry that this chappie is a little short and sorry if I misenterperated the characters, I haven't seen a ton of new episodes so if the characters re a little out of character. Anyways, please favorite, review, and please enjoy!*)**

Ash's alarm clock went off and his eyes wearily opened. _Ugh… I don't want to get up. _He thought fumbling to turn off the alarm. When he found the clock he tossed it on the ground, the alarm stopping with a thud. He turned over to go back to sleep when seeing that he wouldn't be getting up anytime soon Pikachu sent a shot of electricity towards him sending him flying out of his bed landing on the floor.

He groaned, "Pikachu!"

The door opened and the light switched on making Ash squint at the sudden light, "Up, up, up Ash! His mother said cheerfully. "It's the first day of school and you aren't going to start off being late!" Ash simply groaned in reply. His mother pursed her lips, "C'mon Ash, it's the first day of your Junior year! You've only got two more years, suck it up."

Seeing there was no way to escape his mother's nagging he sat up, "Alright, alright, I'm getting up." He said rubbing his eyes. His mother nodded and walked down the hall and he turned to Pikachu, "Really?" Pikachu gave a smug smile electricity running off his cheeks.

Getting up he turned to the closet grabbing his clothes and his signature hat. After getting dressed he placed the hat over his black hair. He'd had the hat since as long as he could remember, back when it was his ultimate dream to become a Pokemon master. Now apparently there was a new law that anyone under eighteen had to graduate with at least a high school degree before they could become a Gym Leader or run off to go on the adventure Ash so desperately wanted. It was in his blood, his dad was a great gym leader before that cable car accident. But Ash had tried so hard to block out the memories, he hardly remembered it anyways because he was so young when it happened. Whenever he dared remember the incident it was different every time. So he didn't.

Ash walked down the stairs Pikachu trailing behind to find his mom's Mr. Mime by the stove flipping pancakes. "Mornin'." Ash said sitting down at the table.

Mr. Mime smiled, reaching for a plate, placing a pancake on it and placing it in front of Ash. "Mime!" he greeted.

His mom walked in and began washing the dishes, "Well, you'd better eat quickly Ash. Brock called saying he'll pick you up soon." She placed the dishes on the rack and handed Ash a brown paper bag. "Here's your lunch, I packed some granola bars for later in the day. And then I packed five dollars in case you want to get something on the walk home. And don't forget your notebook, you'll need that. And…"

"Mom," he interrupted. "It's ok, I've got this down."

His mom let out a sigh, "Thank goodness. It's about time. Remember sixth grade?"

Everyone felt a shiver run down their spines at the faux pox that had happened those years before. "Yeah, let's not relieve that." Ash said, Pikachu nodded in agreement.

There was a horn honking at the front of the house and Ash hastily grabbed his backpack and shoveled the rest of the pancakes in his mouth. "Bye mom! See ya later!" he said running out to Brock's car.

His mom stood at the doorway with Mr. Mime waving goodbye, "Have fun sweetheart!"

"Hey Brock, where are we going? This isn't the way to the school." Ash remarked looking out the window at the neighborhood.

"Hmm? Oh yeah, we're picking up Cilan as well. His brothers pulled a prank on him and set his alarm clock to the wrong time which got him disoriented." Brock informed turning onto the driveway of Cilan's house.

He stood at his doorway, his ear buds plugged into his ears and waved when Brock pulled up. He opened the back seat door and sat beside Pikachu. "Hey guys! Thanks so much for picking me up Brock. Here, I made you some cookies while you were driving here." He said tossing a little sack of cookies up to him.

"Wow, thanks Cilan." Brock smiled driving back down the road. "You defiantly make the best cookies in the world."

Cilan gave a laugh, "Well, I don't know if they're the best in the_world _but thank you." He said.

"Didya make any for me?" Ash asked with pleading eyes.

"Oh, sorry Ash. I only made two dozen batches and I needed exactly enough for the people I was giving them to." Cilan said reaching into his bag and pulling out more of the cookie sacks.

Ash's shoulders dropped, "Aw, who else are you giving them to?"

"Let's see, I've got one for Drew, and Paul, and Iris…" Ash and Brock both let out a collective "Ooo" when he said her name. A flush crept up on Cilan's face. "Shut up!" Ash and Brock both knew about Cilan's long time crush on Iris and always took the opportunity to tease him about it when she wasn't around. "What? It's better than Ash being forever alone and Brock fawning over every girl who passes by!"

"I do not!" Brock argued.

Ash snickered, "If it _breathes _he flirts with it."

Brock turned to him, "Hey, I'm the one driving her. Don't make me drive you into wall." Ash let out another laugh and looked ahead at the building looming in front of them. "Great, we're here."

Pikachu hopped from the back seat onto Ash's shoulder as Ash and Cilan stepped out so Brock could find a parking spot. Ash took in a deep breath and let it out, "Let's do this."

They entered the school building and headed off to their homeroom which both Ash and Cilan shared. They walked down the halls that they hadn't walked in for three months. Lower classmen wandered aimlessly around the halls and kept their heads down, Ash smirked, _Freshies. _Familiar teachers passed by and gave a wave, and people from their class last year said hi to the them.

"Cilan! Ash!" A familiar voice called from down the hall. They turned to see Iris running up, her bicycle helmet in her arms and smile on her face. "Glad to see you guys could find your way back to school."

"Hey, Iris." Ash said. "What homeroom do you have?"

Iris looked at her schedule, "Let's see, I've got Professor Birch."

"Aww, lame." Cilan said pulling out his. "We've both got Professor Oak. Know anyone else in Professor Birch's class?"

"Hmm, well I know Dawn has that class, and maybe Drew, but I don't know." She said. Looking at her watch she gave a small smile, "Well I'd better go. Wouldn't want to be late on the first day, huh? See you two at lunch!" she said waving and running off down the hall.

Ash turned to Cilan, "Nice job, Casanova."

"Hey! Don't blame me!" Cilan argued. "It didn't come up in the conversation! C'mon, like she said we wouldn't want to be late." He said walking off to the classroom.

When they walked in the classroom they got a bunch of greetings from students the previous years and there was a whistle and May and Paul waved them over. "Hey guys! We saved you a seat!"

They walked over and sat down, Ash dropped his bag beside his desk and grinned, "Well, I'm glad you guys are in this class. Knowing Professor Oak is teaching the class, I'm sure a certain someone is going to…"

"Well, well, well, if it isn't my ol' pal, Ash Ketchum." A familiarly snide voice said from the doorway.

Ash groaned, "Hello Gary."


	6. Chapter 6: Metamorphosis

The sun arose the next morning and Misty woke up with a strange feeling in her. A tugging feeling within her heart that made her feel uncomfortable. _What is that feeling? _

"Misty!" A familiar pair of whiny voices called from somewhere else in the castle their father lived in.

Misty sighed and rubbed her temples, _There's no rest for me I suppose. _She hastily swam out of her room and found her sisters Daisy, Lily, and Violet standing (floating?) there with arms folded. "What? Why'd you guys wake me up?"

Violet rolled her eyes, "Why would you need sleep? You were out awfully late the last two nights."

Lily nodded, "Yeah, by the time you got home you might as well have stayed up all night."

"Mhmm, your eyes are like, totally dead looking." Daisy smirked giggling with her sisters.

Misty rolled her tired eyes, "Your point?"

"The point is, little sister, is that daddy wants to see you." Daisy said.

"Yeah, and like the way he said it wasn't all too happy." Violet added.

Misty shrugged and went off to find her dad but inside was cringing, _Did dad know where I was last night? If he knew about that boy… _she shivered. _Don't think about it. _

Swimming into the large ballroom of her father's throne room she bowed slightly which was the proper way to enter the room of the king. That's right, the _king._ Misty looked up, "You called me, father?"

Her dad looked up, his blue eyes stern, sitting on his coral throne his trusty Kindra sitting next to him. "Yes, where were you the last two nights? You've been out late and the guards say they've seen you swimming off late at night."

Misty bit her lip, "I-I was just out for some late night swimming. That's all."

Her father rose an eyebrow, "That's all?"

"Yes." She said feeling her stomach tightening at her father's glare.

"Where did you go swimming?" he questioned obviously trying to get her to talk.

"J-just around. You know the general 50-feet area." She mumbled.

Her father folded his arms, "You didn't happen to go to the beach now would you?"

"M-maybe…" she said the words slipping out. "But I…"

"That's the problem Misty. You're far too young to be going out around humans and ruining our secret!" he snapped. "If someone saw you, what would they do? They would kill you and place you on a mantel, or in a stew! Humans, what a stupid race. Can't do anything…"

"Humans aren't like that!" Misty cried but slapped her hand on her mouth after she said it.

Her father whirled around, surprised of her boldness. "Are you _defending _them?"

"I-I just…"

"Misty, they are the _lowes_t race in this world." He said standing from his throne and looming above her. "They are weak. They are pathetic. We hid underneath the ocean because we couldn't live amongst those, _people _anymore. How dare you defend them."

"But I was…"

"Don't talk back to me!" he yelled. "You aren't old enough to understand the trials of this world. And at this rate you never will. From now on, you aren't leaving this castle."

Misty's eyes widened, "What?"

"You heard me." He said turning and sitting back on his throne.

"B-but dad…"

"I've said what I needed to say and you will not talk back. Go. I don't need you around anymore." He said waving his hand in dismissal.

Searing tears burned in Misty's eyes, her memories of the surface bubbling up in her mind, the anger of her father burning in her heart. She gritted her teeth to hold back the lump rising in her throat and she glared at her father, "Like mom?"

Anger flashed in her father's eyes, standing abruptly he rushed to Misty slapping her in the face. "Don't you speak about her like that! How dare you!" he turned away from his daughter, fury in his heart. "Just go. I don't care."

Feeling broken and confused, Misty raced away from the one she called Father. Racing past her sisters who were nearby probably listening in without even giving as much as a second glance. She swam into her room and let her tears run. _This is it. _She tried wiping her tears away but they continued to fall down her red cheek.

In a moment Starmie quickly reached out with its fin trying to comfort her, she looked up and found Dewgong putting its fin besides Starmie's. She looked at them and quickly embraced them in a hug. Once her tears stopped she felt a need in her heart.

_I'm leaving. I'm going to the surface. _

She quickly swam through the darkened waters, relieved that sneaking out even with her father's extra guards was easier than she thought. _I'd better hurry, the sun will rise soon and they'll notice I'm gone by then. _She thought.

The way to the rumored witch's cave was harder than she thought, but all she could think to do was follow the darkest parts of the ocean, where the least amount of bright coral and happy fish could be found.

Starmie and Dewgong followed by, being cautious of their surroundings but determined to help Misty. In the distance Misty squinted to see the darkened cave, an eerie purple light coming from inside. She took a deep breath and let it out again. _Maybe I shouldn't do this… _but then the memory of the black haired boy filled her mind and a stronger reserve filled her heart. _Ok, let's do this. _

The cave was old and had sea moss growing over the edges making it narrower to enter. Misty and her Pokemon swam in till they reached the end of the cave. Seashells glowing purple light illuminated the small cave and Misty felt chills run down her spine. "H-hello? I've come to see the Sea Witch…"

"That'd be me." A voice said making Misty jump. She turned to see a mermaid with a slick black tail sitting on a large shell, a Quilfish on her lap. Her hair was a long silky blonde that almost seemed blonde in the low light, but her red eyes pierced through her. She didn't seem all too much older than Misty's older sisters which was strange. Misty assumed that the witch would be old and ugly, but she was indeed very pretty, well in a slightly creepy way."Ah, _Princess _Misty. What brings you to my cave?"

The stares from the Sea Witch and the Quilfish made Misty feel uncomfortable but she swallowed hard and stood straighter. "I-I want to be human."

At first the Witch was quiet but then burst out laughing. "Really darling? _You_? The princess? Do tell, do tell."

_Should I tell her? _"Well… I was out and there was this boy and he started drowning. I saved him and his voice was so wonderful. His eyes were so bright, his hair was as black as night. I just…"

The Witch smirked, "Is this love I'm sensing?" she asked eyeing her Quilfish.

"I just… are you going to help me or not?" Misty asked a bit abrasively.

Pursing her lips the Witch stood, "Now honey, you're giving up everything. You're line in the throne, you're life, your fabulous tail."

Misty nodded, "I know. And frankly I don't care."

The Witch raised an eyebrow, "Do you now? Well, as you know my services aren't free. What will give me in return for this?"

"My voice." She said her voice quivering.

"Now, honey, why would I want that? Of course that's the voice that sent the Queen to her final resting place. What a voice _not _to have." She said circling Misty. She ran a long fingernail through Misty's long red hair, "Though your hair will do nicely." In a quick movement she slashed her sharpened nail through Misty's hair cutting it just above her shoulders.

Misty wasn't petty like her sisters about being the most beautiful she could be but her hair was one of the features that she actually liked and most people recognized her by her hair. Misty touched the now shortened hair, "B-but how will he recognize me without my hair? I won't be as beautiful!"

The Witch frowned, "If you really need your hair to impress him than is it really love?" Misty thought about this and her shoulders dropped. _She's right. _She turned and placed the hair down, picking up a glass bottle. "Alright, now you will be human."

She plucked things off her shelves and began placing them in the bottle, things sparking and bubbling. She began chanting something but Misty couldn't make it out. She snapped her fingers and the Quilfish quickly turned to Misty jabbing one its quills into her arm, sending something in her bloodstream. She cried out in pain as the blood began floating out of the wound. The Witch swiped some of the blood into the bottle and shook it up. "Drink, child, drink."

Misty grabbed the bottle and chugged the whole thing. Her head felt like it would explode the pain in her fin and rose up her tail, the feeling of her bones breaking hit her brain and she began screaming. The Witch cackled, "Yes! You're almost there dear! You're almost there!"

With a drowning feeling Misty's vision blurred and her lungs concaved on themselves sending her unconscious. The Witch's red eyes burned in her mind.

When the world came back to Misty she heard the sound of waves on the shore, the sound of birds above her. Her eyes opened to the rocks of the cove, Starmie and Dewgong sat next to her, relieved to see she was awake.

The feeling began to come back to her body, the pain shooting out from her tail. She looked down and found it was gone. Replaced with two pale legs. Yes, legs.

Misty ran her hand down it, wiggling her newfound toes. Happiness bubbled in her she started laughing kicking her legs around. "I-I can't believe it!" she said happy to hear the sound of her own voice.

After she stopped laughing she sat there for a minute.

_Now what? _


End file.
